In the Shadow of Vinea
by Pen Sil
Summary: [AU] The Rukh guides him into the city beneath the great Labyrinth and in the shadow he finds more than a corrupt city and a Djinn. He finds a girl of red jade dressed in the clothes of a commoner, who is meant for so much more.
1. Lychees and Red Jade

Hey guys! New multi-chap from me!

Just a quick AN here before we get started!

This is a half-AU of the "what if Kougyoku didn't grow up in the castle, but with her mother's family?" kind. I've been thinking about it for a while, that it would be interesting to have Kougyoku and Sinbad meet under different circumstances, and how that would change the story slightly. So this is my idea of what that would look like.

This is only a short fic, however, so it'll be over soon enough.

I won't be posting this on a special date since the last couple of times I've been promising to post on special dates I've been unable to ... mainly because I couldn't be arsed. So I'll be posting on a whim - sorry about that, but fear not! The story HAS been finished so it WILL be up!

Happy Reading!

* * *

**In The Shadow of Vinea**

_Chapter 01: Lychees and Red Jade_

* * *

In Tailin's history, the city could have never counted itself as big or as prospering as it did under the reign of the Kou empire.

It had been under the dominion of many states over the centuries but had never seen true peace until a year after it had been conquered by the first emperor, Ren Hakutoku.

It wasn't thanks to the reign of the empire that the town grew prospering, though had they sent a less shrewd regent, what followed might never have come to pass.

Because what happened that summer, which helped the port town grow into a great city, was this;

A dungeon appeared in the bay.

It wasn't a normal dungeon to hold prisoners, but a place to test the strength of millions and only pass one. That one person would enter the dungeon, undergo a series of tests, and come out with a newfound power.

This magical tower was not the first to appear either. There had been sightings of several other towers around the world. Already, some had been conquered and millions had perished within them.

As one might guess, the first wave of people came because they wished to conquer the dungeon, but as the reckless were swallowed by the tower, the wiser stayed behind. While this happened, the natives of the town found that the dungeon had brought something else with it; a wellspring of mussels with beautiful and valuable pearls hidden inside.

Because of this trade grew and while the city grew with it the wares sold here changed as well, so that the port and the lower parts of town eventually developed into a constant market with everything from Kou silk to gold from the Desert of Forgotten Souls and art from Reim.

The fame of the city grew and with it the amount of citizens increased because a city like Tailin was greatly appreciated due to its location. It lay so remotely on the map that the war never reached it. And while the dungeon soon became something feared, instead of an opportunity for fame and fortune, the regent saw other uses for it; it became a way of punishment.

All this created a shadow of peace that, while it was fueled by fear, it was still something people sought far more than what lay inside the dungeon.

* * *

Sinbad had come for the Djinn in the tower, but he wasn't stupid enough to boast of it. So he stepped off the boat he had come with, gaze on the impressive building, and then back to check the coast was clear.

He'd snuck away from the others again, but he'd be damned if he was going to make a grand entrance. Well, probably not, he thought grinning, but he wanted to poke around a bit to check if the rumors were true. Most likely, the situation was worse…

The port, one of the largest he'd ever stood in outside a capital, was a truly vast place with all kinds of boats and ships. From the small ones that divers used to get the molluscs at the bottom of the bay, to the galleys having come from as far away as Heliohapt at the heart of the Desert of Forgotten Souls. He recognized those ships well, having come with one himself.

He hoped Sharrkan wouldn't murder him in his sleep.

Well, it was more likely to be Jafar who'd go to such lengths, but the assassin had grown more patient over the years.

There were all kinds of people here.

Sailors who loaded wares to and from the ships, old fishing masters who were lounging during the day, waiting for night to fall so the fish would bite. There were children running around near the water's edge, fishing for crabs and expertly dodging the paths of the working men and women. Sinbad saw swords for hire and aristocratsHe saw people of all shapes and sizes, of all colours and dress. He was sure he even saw a mage and a Fanalis.

And then there were the guards, of course. They were everywhere, carrying the red robes of the Kou empire.

Sinbad avoided the guards with ease, catching on to their waveforms and avoiding them before they ever saw him.

The port opened into an enormous market that stretched through the streets all the way up to the keep, which towered halfway up a dormant volcano.

Locals sold everything from clothing to fish to fresh fruits, which were hard to find in this part of the world. It was so hot here after all. In the streets Merchants sat in open tents, bargaining for more expensive wares with their hands covered in cloth so only the two knew the price. Mages sold spells, farmers sold crops, fishermen sold all kinds of sea life from squids to live sea turtle.

As Sinbad ventured up towards the keep, the wares turned to more expensive tastes. Gold and silk, jade statues, pearls in all sizes and colors were sold here. He even saw ancient texts that could only belong to dungeons and he wondered how they'd come to this point.

Sinbad stopped to look through one of them. It truly was an original, and though he could not read the Tran language, he thought it was probably best if it didn't get into the wrong hands. And there were others who could read it. Drakon who had come with him, (for example).

"How much is this?" he asked, turning back to the tradesman. He looked like he was from Quishan.

The trader turned his squinty pig eyes to Sinbad, looking suspicious. At the look of all the metal vessels hanging around Sinbad's neck and the golden earrings he seemed to decide that here was a man he could rob blind. "Oh, you have a good eye there, great lord of the crowd," he said. "A rare treasure this is."

Sinbad masked his surprise easily. Definitely from Quishan. He'd have to be careful then. "I'm sure all great finds are rare treasures in the right hand," he said. "And how much would this hidden jewel be in your hands, oh master merchant?"

Had it been Jafar taking care of the deal the title would probably have sounded more like "Oh master of many trinkets". An insult that would sting as intended for Jafar hated the way people from Quishan spoke to each other.

"It'll be one-hundred-and-fifty Huang, grand ruler of all those generous," the merchant said forcing his voice to sound casual and failing.

Sinbad laughed. "I'll give you four golden solidus coins from Reim," he said.

"Eight."

"Five."

"Seven."

"Six."

"Deal!"

The coins changed hands and Sinbad paused. "Tell me now," he said and glanced out over the market. Here in the inner town, some people had stepped into the large water reservoirs to avoid the heat of midday. A wise choice, he thought. "What's the deal with that tower in the middle of the bay? Do they really keep prisoners in there?"

The merchant shook his head, looking incredulous. "Do you not know what that is?" when Sinbad shook his head the man explained "That is a Dungeon. It's a place where you can obtain great wealth if you are of the right build! There is magic in there like you will never see in your wildest dreams and treasure to sate the greediest of men. Some even say they contain Djinn."

There was a pause, then the merchant added "Have you ever heard of Sinbad?"

The man himself shook his head again. He had a hard time fighting back a smirk. "No. Who's that?"

It had probably been a while since the merchant had had an eager listener for he seemed to grow an inch or two, being able to tell this tale. "It's this Partevian kid who's conquered the first Dungeon when he was only thirteen. Millions of people had tried before him, most of the Partevian army walked to its death in there - for the sake of the royal family. Yet that child managed it and when he came out of there he took not a single treasure with him. Not that he had much of a choice seeing as the army would have liked to kill him."

"It's been ten years since then and by now he has conquered six dungeons, created a country in the middle of the sea called Sindria where everyone are free and equal, and even made a federation!"

"He sounds amazing."

"Oh, that he is, most generous of customers! To the little man he is a hero, though I hear he has a tendency of getting himself into trouble."

"Oh?" Sinbad asked, drawing out the questioning sound. "I can't imagine why?"

The merchant told a couple of tales. The most accurate one was probably the one about his fight with Judal a few months back. The others were so old he could barely recognise them since they'd had so much time to change. He waited a bit, then pulled the conversation back on track.

"But this tower - dungeon -" Sinbad waved a hand in the direction of the building "- what's its deal?"

"Right," the man said. He'd lost his caution, so engrossed was he in being listened to that he did not hold back on the information, though he did lower his voice. "Those dungeons are raised by the high priest of the Kou empire. He's a great mage and they are actually meant for the imperial princes and princesses, but you know -"

His eyes flickered nervously to something behind Sinbad and turned to see two women whispering to each other, looking positively alarmed. He shot them his most charming smile and they both flushed to the hair.

Sinbad turned back to the merchant. "You were saying?"

But the Quishanian trader had turned a deadly pale. "Ah, I- I'm sorry, most illustrious of listeners, but I fear I have spoken with little to no care," he said. "I am sure there are other more important matters Your Grace should be attending to."

With that he turned away, leaving Sinbad to his own thoughts.

* * *

Sinbad spent the next hour or so searching the market, speaking with various people, and avoiding the guard.

By the time he grew hungry, he thought he'd gathered most of the intel he needed. What a morbid way of using the Dungeon. Though he supposed it had turned out a rather effective method.

Apparently, though the dungeons were meant for the Imperial princes and princesses to go and gain their own powers, many people had been allowed in for a small fee - in the beginning anyway. When the glory-seekers had been swallowed up by the world's many dungeons and only the sensible ones had been left, the city's Regent had turned to other methods of keeping the Dungeon useful.

Not only was it being used for executions, but they made a show out of it. He'd probably been inspired by Reim, though, having seen the inside of more than one Dungeon, Sinbad thought this was far more morbid than the games at the amphitheaters.

What seemed to amuse people the most about all this was that the youngest son of the emperor had come here last year with an army, stepped into the dungeon and never come back.

Sinbad stopped at a reservoir, looked out over the many people standing there, talking, and considered taking a dip himself.

On the other hand, he'd come from an even hotter place so he'd honestly rather have a good drink,and maybe something to eat too. The question was whether or not he should be returning to Jafar and the others to get it.

Something fluttered past him then, golden and full of life. Sinbad instinctively turned to look where the wave had come from, only to catch a scent of lychee, his eyes focusing on red jade.

The girl standing not too many feet from him was being yelled at by a plumb man with all kinds of stains down his clothes. He was waving a very sharp knife in her face and speaking rapidly in a dialect Sinbad wasn't familiar with.

Never one to leave a girl in trouble, he stepped forwards, flanked her side and smiled down at the elder. "Excuse me," he said. "I'm sorry to interrupt bu-"

"As you damn well should be!" the man exploded, now in perfectly understandable lingo. "This has nothing to do with you, foreigner."

He spat at the ground just before Sinbad's feet, turned and stomped back to his booth, which sold fresh fruit. He took up guard at his stall, watching them owlishly.

To Sinbad's surprise the girl took the basket she'd been carrying on her head, placed it carefully on the ground and bowed to him. "I'm terribly sorry," she said, voice barely audible over the rush of the crowd around them.

Sinbad waved his hand, laughing. "There's no need for you to apologize," he said. "If anything I was the one who meddled."

The girl glanced up at him and he caught sight of her red eyes and pale white skin. Unusual. He smiled warmly down at her. "Now please, dear lady," he said, reaching out and touching her chin in a feather-like brush. "No woman should ever be forced to bow as deeply as you're doing now. Raise your head and straighten your shoulders so the world can see your lovely face."

And she did have a lovely face, even as it reddened to fit the colour of her hair. But he'd been sure he'd seen something ferocious in her gaze only moments ago, looks he'd only otherwise seen in men more used to lifting a sword than holding a loved one. Sinbad was sure he'd done the fruit seller a favor.

With speed he hadn't expected she'd avoided his hand, grabbed her basket and spun to leave him in the market.

Sinbad grinned and hurried to catch up. "I'm actually pretty thirsty, would you perhaps have a fruit stall from which I could buy something to patch up my dry throat?"

The girl in red jade shot him a suspicious look, but he just smiled at her. It seemed to be the general custom here to be suspicious of foreigners and there was something hesitant in her suspiscion, as if it was learned instead of natural. "M-My family owns a stall, yes," she admitted, diverting her gaze again.

He hummed. "Do you mind me asking what the argument was about?" he inquired curiously. He wasn't going to pry if she didn't want to answer, but he might as well keep a conversation now that he'd found something interesting in this city.

She weaved herself through a group of merchants, added apologies where they were needed, turned a corner, and Sinbad almost lost her because -he- had so much trouble getting through the throng.

When he caught up again she answered. "He was accusing me of stealing," she said, looking troubled.

From what Sinbad had gathered from others in this port town that was a grave thing to be yelling about. More for the sake of testing her, he said "and … did you steal?"

She bristled, turning a deadly glare his way. "I had both hands on my basket, how could I possibly steal?"

Sinbad shot her another charming smile, now that she was looking at him. "I never expected you to," he said.

Her face flushed again, but before she could reply someone called "Kougyoku!" through the crowd. Her head whipped around in the direction of the voice, basket tilting, fruits flying.

Sinbad caught the perfectly ripe lychee just as a woman came rushing through the crowd. Her black hair was thinning to a natural grey and she had smiling wrinkles at the edges of her eyes. They grew cold as they landed on the girl, but when she saw Sinbad was accompanying her, she smiled, her features growing warm once more. "Where have you been, girl?" she demanded.

Kougyoku bowed to the woman. "I apologize, aunt," she said. "I brought a customer, though."

The woman's kind smile turned to Sinbad, and she gave him all her attention, asking to his likes and dislikes in fruit. Sinbad kept only half his attention on her, choosing instead to study the girl whose name he found to be rather interesting. Another peculiar feature.

The stall was a big one and the woman explained that her husband owned a successful plantation not too far from the town.

While they chattered, Sinbad watched Kougyoku out of the corner of his eye. She was setting up the lychee she had been carrying. She worked with special care, concentrating on her task.

When her aunt turned away to talk to a young man by the door to the shop, Sinbad took his chance to throw the lychee he'd caught earlier into the basket of fruits so they landed neatly on top.

She looked up, shocked to be interrupted and he smiled again. "Actually I'd like a bag of those," he said, coming over. "They look perfectly ripe."

Kougyoku glanced after her aunt, but the woman was absorbed in her own conversation. "Right away, sir." Her voice had taken on a practiced sweetness, a polite tone used often in the market. It didn't fit her at all, he thought.

She filled a large bag for him and he handed out two golden coins, also from Reim. She gaped at the amount, too surprised at the price he'd paid for their fruit to protest.

He plucked the paper bag from her hands, but before he turned away completely, his hand already pulling a fruit out of the bag, he winked at her.

Starting towards his actual destination in the upper levels of town he cut the skin off with a knife and bit into the fruit.

_Sweet._

* * *

"Where have you been?!"

Jafar stormed across the room and was in Sinbad's face before he had closed the door. "We were supposed to meet the Regent two hours ago!"

"I got lost in the market."

There was a collective exclamation of 'bullshit' from the room and Sinbad frowned at his companions. He'd brought Jafar, Sharrkan, Hinahoho, Pisti and Drakon with him. The latter being the only one who had fully merged with his household vessel and therefore actually looked like Dragon.

Sinbad gave a long suffering sigh. "Alas, what has the world come to if people view me with suspicion and even my friends do not believe what I tell them?"

He dodged Jafar's murderous glare and stepped properly into the room, all jokes leaving him. "Was he very upset?"

"Very," Drakon confirmed. "But he also understands his position, meaning he wasn't about to throw us in the Dungeon for your insolence."

"Ah, so you heard about that too," Sinbad confirmed. The others nodded.

"Well, it's not like he knows that's why we're here," Pisti piped up. "Or he'd definitely want to throw us out. The Kou Empire is very protective of their dungeons."

She grinned at a memory and Sinbad laughed. They'd conquered two within Kou's territory.

They compared stories and Sinbad heard the full, tragic, tale of the Kou prince who had perished in the depths of the dungeon. "The Regent kept going on and on about how it was weird with that boy," Sharrkan drawled. "Saying he didn't look like any of the other princes and how it was uncommon for a son of Koutoku not to have his hair of red jade."

Sinbad raised an eyebrow at this. "He didn't? I thought all his sons and daughters bore his features," he said, and while he did so he reached out to take the goblet Sharrkan had left on the table, unprotected.

The swordsman caught on too quickly and grabbed the goblet, quickly draining it. "Ha! Go get your own wine, Sin!"

Their king rose and while he went to get a drink from what the hotel staff had set out for them, Jafar continued the tale. "I don't think it's anything we need to worry about. The dungeon of Vinea isn't more dangerous than anything else we've seen. The prince didn't even bring Judal with him, after all."

"Few of the Imperial Children has," Drakon pointed out.

"Yes, but this boy was only fourteen at the time," Pisti piped up. "It'd have required a miracle for him to have survived in there."

"Thank you," Sinbad said, returning to his seat.

"I wasn't complimenting you," she said cheekily. "You're not human after all."

"Of course, I am," Sinbad said, pulling out the bag of Lychee. He rummaged through it and pulled out another fruit.

"Where'd you get those, Sin?" Jafar asked cautiously. It was common knowledge between all of them that their king wasn't cautious enough, nor did he seem to care that there were plenty of people out there who'd like to poison him.

"Market," Sinbad said, holding out the bag. "Want one?"

Jafar shook his head and Sinbad shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Can I have one?" Pisti asked.

Sinbad threw one at her. "I've taken quite a liking to them and may have to bring some with me back to Sindria," he said, thinking of the girl in red jade.

Hinahoho stole the fruit out of Pisti's hands while Drakon shook his head. "I wouldn't even try importing them," he said. "They did in Partevia once and the fruit grew bad after only three days off the tree."

"Pity," Sinbad said, he bit into his fruit, savoured the taste and then handed over the bag to the affronted Pisti. Hinahoho was laughing. "I'd still like to give it a try."

* * *

While answering some of your reviews I've been telling about a new multi-chapter story I've been working on. Here it is. First chapter out of five!

I've even asked someone to beta this and I must say she did a good job in spite of it being her first time doing it. *waves* thank you Amber~ (though, of course, there are still things you need to learn :D)

Other than that there are a couple of symbols I thought I'd explain:

1. The red jade comments are a reference to her name, which literally means red jade

2. the Lychee fruit was the first asian fruit I could find that really caught my attention. Not only does it not grow well in the north, but needs the warmth of the south, which I thought was a nice metaphor for the fact that I think she could grow tremendously under Sin's tutelage, but it's also a sort of symbol of fertility (to have a son quickly) and I thought that was a nice hint to the fact that this has slightly romantic undertones, though they aren't very strong. Or at least shouldn't be very strong.

Anyway. Yeah. Don't expect a lot of romance in this thing since it'd be a couple of years before anything would actually happen between them. Before anyone asks _yes_, I _am_ thinking of writing another smaller multichap in this story-line set later, but I haven't figured out the story yet so don't expect anything. And don't worry, there will be hints of romance in this one, though not much.

Any names of minor OCs or titles actually mentioned in this story will be explained in the chapters they appear in so don't worry too much about that. If you have any questions, however, feel free to ask.

I think that's all.

I hope you enjoy this story and I look forwards to your opinions of it!

- Pen


	2. Capital Punishment

**In The Shadow of Vinea**

_Chapter 02: Capital Punishment_

* * *

The sun was just coming up over the city walls as the cart rolled into place in front of the city gates.

"We're here." A rough hand prodded her shoulder and Kougyoku woke from her half slumber, stretching and yawning. She'd been sleeping in the cart again so her body was aching from the hard surface and uncomfortable drive.

Her older cousin was already turning towards the gates; they were kept open all the time during harvest, though carts were not allowed inside unless they came from outside Tailin's borders.

Kougyoku jumped off the cart. "How many times will you be back here today?" she asked.

"Considering we got the largest wagon today," her cousin said. He scratched his chin in thought and then continued, "only three times should be enough. Do you want me to pick you up tonight or would you rather sleep in the tent?"

Kougyoku considered it. Her aunt would be there, overseeing the daily work and her son would be there as well, working as a guard. It was either sleeping in the wagon or spending the evening and night in awkward silence. "Would it be too much trouble if you'd have to wait for me?"

Her cousin shrugged and then said, "it's not like I have much better to do."

Kougyoku shot him a smile and said "thanks. I appreciate it."

Her cousin pulled down her first basket of fruit, which contained figs. He handed it to her and she placed it on her head, balancing easily. "I'll see you later," she said before turning away to walk into the city.

Tailin was only just waking up, though people from the outside were already carrying goods, preparing their stalls, talking in hushed voices, as was the case through most of the day. Kougyoku watched them with the detachment of anyone who walked the streets every day.

Since it was harvest time, there were more people and it was the only time of the year she got to see the city, for she spent the rest of the year at her uncle's plantation. Though she enjoyed the solitude of working amongst the plants, she liked the bustle of people and the close proximity to the ocean far more.

Her aunt was just pushing aside the covers from the small building behind the stall when Kougyoku arrived. She greeted her niece curtly before turning away to wake her son, who had been sleeping in the tent outside.

Kougyoku turned away from them and started emptying the basket of figs into the almost empty crate. Once that was done she turned back around and walked out into the street, retracing her route to where her cousin would be waiting with the next basket. She repeated this ritual all morning, and once that was done she was ordered to go get breakfast.

She walked past the reservoirs where she'd gotten into an argument with the fruit seller and met that strange foreigner the day before. From there, she turned south towards the bread market.

One stall sold the most delicious steamed buns. The owner brightened when he saw her and she gave a shy bow.

"I hear you got into quite the argument with Ren Zha yesterday," the elderly man said when she'd ordered her usual order. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she said, feeling some of the warmth for the bread seller sneak into her tone.

"If he gives you anymore trouble, come to me," he said, waving his chopsticks threateningly. "I'll teach him a lesson or two."

Guilt flooded her system. Such exclamations weren't a good thing in this place. "Please," she said. "It's not wise to speak such words here, taifu."

Her elder smiled kindly and patted her cheek in such a familiar manner it made her blush. "You are too humble, dianxia," he said, handing over a small round casket filled with steaming buns.

Kougyoku paled at the honorific. She couldn't hold up her hands to receive the casket, nor could she look away from his kind eyes. "E-excuse me, wha- what did you say, taifu?" she stuttered. "I- I must have mis-miss heard."

"I just said you were being too humble. Now hurry and bring these back to your family before they grow cold. I've added some extra with meat," he said and winked at her.

With shaking hands Kougyoku took the casket and exited, forgetting to bow. As soon as she was outside the stall, her eyes flickered frantically for a few seconds, but no one was looking at her strangely, no one was hurrying to talk to anybody. It was like he'd never even called her that.

_...Dianxia..._

She'd never heard that expression spoken to anyone before. She hadn't been there when the youngest Imperial Prince had come to Tailin after all, since it had been out of the harvest season. The honorific was one used to address the members of the Imperial Clan, not something used for ordinary people.

If anyone had heard, they'd surely send her into the Dungeon.

Kougyoku shivered in the hot morning sun and then hurried down the street, not fast enough to run, but definitely as fast as she could walk.

She was almost glad her aunt made her deal with customers that day. That meant she couldn't sink into her own mind and ponder over what had happened. Worse yet, she was almost happy to see the man from yesterday walking up to their stall once more - and even happier that her aunt wasn't there to pamper him with attention for the large sum he'd paid for yesterday's lychees.

He greeted her cheerfully and ordered an impossibly large bag of lychees. "I had to fight my companions over the one yesterday," he explained casually. "So I want to make sure we have enough today."

Kougyoku bowed her head at the indirect praise. "We're very honoured to be gifted with your patronage," she said sincerely.

"I'd start importing them if I could," he said, sounding wistful. "Though Drakon tells me they rot quickly after being taken off the branch -" he picked up a lychee and plucked it from the small piece of branch still attached "- is that why you cut them off like this?"

"Yes," she replied, reaching out to caress a leaf.

Her cousin stepped up beside her, his hand touching her shoulder briefly. "Kougyoku, are you keeping an eye on the sun?"

Her eyes moved from the fruit in the casket to the cloudless sky. The sun had moved several inches above them and she knew they'd soon be back with a new load. "Ah, thank you, Sun Quan," she exclaimed, and hurried around the table, thrusting the bag of fruit into the foreigner's hands. She bowed and spun on her heal, hurrying down the street.

* * *

It happened towards the evening, when she was carrying the last basket back to the wagon.

Twilight had descended and the lamps in the streets had been lit. The shadows lurked everywhere at this time, but they did not bother Kougyoku. She had checked and she was still wearing her dagger at her waist.

People had moved down towards the port, leaving the streets fairly empty. They'd be sailing out in small boats to get closer to the entrance of Vinea where all the criminals of this day were to be transported into the Dungeon. It was an event she avoided with the utmost care.

She wondered briefly why it had come to this, but pushed the thoughts aside. There was nothing she could do anyway. She was just a single little girl with no power after all.

A boy ran into her just as she crossed a square and she stumbled, almost dropping the basket.

"Sorry!" he yelled over his shoulder, continuing down the street. She hadn't even caught sight of his face before he'd vanished.

Shrugging it off, Kougyoku gathered herself and hurried towards the gates where her cousin must be waiting for her. She passed the bread stall from earlier; it'd been closed for the night. The owner must have either gone to bed or gone to the Dungeon.

With a start, she remembered her conversation with him that morning. She stumbled again, but caught herself. It was a ridiculous thing to fret about and she'd probably misheard anyway. She knew people talked behind her back, about her hair, and her skin, but there was nothing to it. Her uncle had assured her that her mother had never had anything to do with the imperial family, when she'd first asked him and while he'd never been truly kind to her, she believed him.

They didn't talk about her mother much. She'd given birth outside of marriage and her mother had been punished accordingly by dying in childbirth.

Kougyoku shuddered at the wording. It was the way her aunt always spoke in the small moments she did mention Kougyoku's mother.

The girl pushed aside her worries and turned another corner.

She hadn't gotten far before she felt something sneak up on her. The sudden fearful warning that trickled through her mind made her heart dance in her chest. She felt the shadow pass over her, but before she could reach for her dagger someone grabbed her by her long hair and hoisted her into the air.

It hurt!

Kougyoku gave a strangled cry as gravity pulled at her, tearing at her scalp. She dropped her basket. Tears stung in her eyes.

"I finally caught you," a thick male voice said, his sticky breath rushing over her face and neck. He reeked of rot and alcohol. It burned her nose, and she tried to pull away from him.

Someone groped the pockets of her robes and her eyes opened abruptly as he let go of her hair. Kougyoku stumbled, but managed to remain on her feet. She looked around in panic, but soon found what she was looking for.

Ren Zha gave a victorious laugh. He stepped so close she could feel the disgusting heat from his body and waved a wallet in her face. "I knew it'd be you," he said, spittle hitting her face.

Now that she was free, Kougyoku took a step back, her fear draining away. Where he had come from she could not know, there certainly weren't any other people in the street "I - I don't know what you're talking about," she stuttered. The tears were still stinging in her eyes, but she was very quickly calming down.

(Ren Zha took a threatening step closer to her and he towered over her, obviously intent on intimidating her. Half his teeth were rotten.

"You stole my wallet, little daughter of a whore," he hissed. "I knew it as soon as I laid eyes on you that you were a thief. Just like your mother."

The last of her fear ebbed away and she felt the cold anger she'd felt the day before flow back into her system. A part of her knew it was ridiculous to be angry at his words - she had never known her mother - but there was a much larger part of her that wanted to avenge the insult. Heck, from the first time she'd met the man she'd felt ready to hurt him, she'd wanted to see his blood spilt.

Confused at the sudden impulse for violence, Kougyoku shook herself and took a couple of steps back, touching her forehead as the world swam before her eyes. "Wha-"

"Enough," the fruit trader snapped. He grabbed her by the upper arm -"I'm going to make you regret the day you ever crossed my path, little thieving whore"- and started dragging her down the street. His fingers were sweaty and greasy and she was grateful there was at least two layers of cloth to protect her from them. The grip was tight, and he held her arm in an awkward position, forcing her to come along.

As he dragged her off she did not protest at first, too dazed and confused by what was happening, the anger she had only felt on few occasions.

Still, as she heard the noise of the crowd her senses came back, and she realised what he was planning on doing.

A whole new type of fear sprung to life within her and she started digging her heels into the ground. "No. No, please, I didn't steal anything," she pleaded. "There's got to be some - some mistake!"

_Anything but the Dungeon._

People died horrible deaths in there! There were strange monsters and terrible traps. She'd read some of Sinbad's accounts( too. She couldn't survive in there! She'd rather just get executed the normal way.

But no matter how much she struggled, Ren Zha just continued towards the crowd.

Her yells must have been heard, for three guards came their way, demanding to know what was happening.

"This little _twit_ -" Ren Zha flung Kougyoku to the ground. She gave a yelp of surprise, thrust out her arms and barely avoided hitting her head on the cobble "- has been stealing from my fruit stall for weeks! Now I finally caught her with my wallet in her pocket!"

Kougyoku turned just in time to see him hold up the flat piece of cloth again. She opened her mouth to protest, to say she hadn't done anything, but Ren Zha spoke up again. "I want her punished, and I want her punished right now!"

The girl opened her mouth again, looking from Ren Zha to the guards. They were exchanging looks and then nodding to each other. Her mouth felt dry. She forgot what she was supposed to be saying.

This couldn't be happening!

She hadn't done anything!

* * *

The roar of the crowd was unbelievable as Kougyoku was helped onto the platform with the other criminals. There weren't that many, her blank mind noted.

The rough hand on her shoulder forced her to turn her back to the large tower and the other criminals so she was facing the city. There were so many small boats in the water that their lamps lit up the whole port. Even more people had gathered on the docks.

They looked so excited, smiling and laughing, talking amongst themselves. It wasn't even that interesting a thing. It was just criminals being forced to enter a shining gate.

But as she soon found out, it was what the criminals would do to try and get away that really caught people's attention.

Some screamed loudly, begging, humiliating themselves. Others tried to make a run for it, and the guards allowed that because there was no escape from the little platform. The crowd laughed. There was even one who tried to fight them off, a big man of much strength, but the guards laughed and stabbed him in the side so the blood sprayed before they kicked him through the gates.

An innate hatred for them sprung up in her suddenly. She'd never been treated with kindness in her own family, had always been pushed a little to the side because of her mother. She'd been called all kinds of things, even those meant in kindness, terrified her. But she'd never seen this kind of cruelty in people before.

The bloodlust was there again, before, she could stop it and it must have shown on her face for the guard walking over to drag her off paled and took a step back.

"I'm not going to run anywhere," Kougyoku said. "So please release my binds, I'd like to die an honorable death."

Another guard came over and the two exchanged looks. They didn't seem to think there was any harm in that so they cut the binds on her hands.

A hushed silence had fallen over the port as she straightened, feeling her head clear. She turned her back to the people she'd despised a moment ago. She wasn't that kind of person, was she? In a desperate situation did she really start hating what was right in front of her?

Kougyoku's eyes travelled up the Dungeon of Vinea. No. All this had come about because of this dungeon. It'd brought all kinds of troubles into the hearts of people; greed, bloodlust, wrath, hatred.

An elbow in her back forcefully pushed her forwards and she stumbled towards the stairs.

There was no way she could get away from this, no way she even had a remote chance of turning back.

So maybe she should face it instead?

Before she could falter in this new idea, she spun on the nearest unexpecting soldier, reached out and pulled his sword out of his scabbard. It was a dramatic display, one she could have avoided had they not already taken her dagger before she'd been taken onto the platform.

There was a moment of stunned silence, which Kougyoku didn't waste any time joining in on. The sword was heavy in her hand, but it was sharp and well taken care of, and nothing she hadn't carried before - though she'd never used it to save her life.

Yells of "Hey!" and "Give that back", as well as much laughter from the crowd, rose behind her. Kougyoku stopped for nothing, running up the stairs as fast as she could.

She didn't even stop to consider the wall in front of her, knowing that as soon as it touched her it'd swallow her up.

Bright light engulfed her, and she suddenly plunged into an ocean of darkness.

* * *

When she next opened her eyes, she was floating in space.

Stars swam in her visions and she blinked hard to clear it.

In front of her was a large orb. It shone with red light, looking like it was covered in lava. Her heart sank at the sight.

What was this? Where was she?

And why did she feel such a dreadful sense of foreboding?

* * *

Her lungs contracted and she tried to breathe.

Water entered her mouth and she spluttered, suddenly feeling the cold liquid all around her. The dirty floor of the reservoir beneath her.

Quickly, she pushed off with her hands and broke the surface.

Kougyoku gulped down air, rubbing her eyes as fast as she could. She'd been just about to drown.

She looked around herself, trying to take in her surroundings, all the while groping for the sword she'd just stolen. It was ironically the first thing she'd ever stolen. To think it brought accusations of thievery to actually becoming a thief and not the other way around.

Her hand caught on something in the water; something fleshy and she felt a chill of disgust running down her spine.

Rising quickly to her feet she looked around properly.

She'd landed just on the edge of the pool where there was only a few feet of water, but just beside that, there was a cliff, deepening the reservoir so the bottom fell away sharply.

The leg she'd touched was attached to a body, which hung over the edge. Just beside him was her sword.

Quickly Kougyoku bowed to retrieve the weapon, but as she did so she brushed the body again and this time it slipped fully over the edge, vanishing into the darkness.

Kougyoku gave a shudder and took several steps back.

There was a rumble all around her and the water started moving towards the deep end of the pool in a rushing current, pulling at her legs with incredible force.

Lights flooded the room and Kougyoku, standing so close to the edge, and being pulled steadily nearer saw what lay at the bottom of the pool.

A large flower had opened at the bottom of the pool and she could see giant teeth all along its petals. It stretched out and in its middle was a large mouth with jaws wide enough to swallow buildings. Now it was swallowing the water, creating a rushing whirlpool as dangerous as the worst of sea storms.

With a sinking feeling of dread, Kougyoku realised what had eaten all the people who had come here.

* * *

AN: Ren Zha is actually an insult which indicates that the person is useless and seen as garbage. I don't know a lot about Chinese, though, so if I'm wrong, I'm sorry, but it's just what I could find on Wikipedia.

Taifu is the chinese equivalent of ojiisan - also from wikipedia.

Dianxia is used to address members of the imperial family - ALSO from wikipedia.

Other than that. Here is the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Things will heat up from now on so look forwards to it!

And since I'm here I might as well do a small commercial for my original story. I am posting a fantasy thing on dA of my own composition. Here is a small summary:

_**"When Emily and Lucy's parents died their only living relative is a strange younger sister of their mothers, named Brooke, a kindhearted but messy young woman who spends more time talking to the fire in the stove and the brooms in the cupboard than watching where she walks.**_

_**But their aunt is not the only one inhabiting the dark halls of their new home. Lights float around after dark, a large grumpy cat sits on the garden wall, and a cursed king sits in the attic.**_

_**The sisters must learn to tread carefully and keep their wits about them if they are to learn their aunt's trade; Magic."**_

If you like what I've posted here I hope you'll take a look and leave a comment :D or, if you don't have a dA account, a PM on here telling me what you think :D My dA accname is _**xStonehill**_

Thank you for reading! I hope to hear your opinion of the story so far!

- Pen


	3. The Labyrinth pt1 Sirens

**Chapter 03: The Labyrinth pt 1; Sirens**

* * *

The sound of the whirlpool was deafening, its drag on the water becoming stronger with every passing second.

Kougyoku took a deep breath, tried to take a step back from the whirlpool and found that she was frozen in fear. Her eyes focused on the rush of water. She couldn't look away.

She was going to die here, like everyone else. She wasn't any different from the rest. Another thief. Despicably weak.

But she didn't want to die here. She didn't want all those people to keep wishing the death of others. She wanted to clear the dungeon, make it vanish. It had corrupted the people around her and she wanted it -gone-.

Something golden fluttered past her and she blinked. With it, her eyes moved from the whirlpool and she found herself able to move. With all the willpower she could muster, she turned her back on the monster and started moving against the current.

The shore seemed impossibly far away, and with every step she took the monster at the bottom grew increasingly more determined to get her. Her muscles protested, but she couldn't stop here.

She reached the shore and immediately fell to her knees, her hands digging into the sand, gasping for air.

Because she didn't trust that she was safe yet she turned to look around at the pool once more. For the first time she had the time to look around. The walls were a dark grey, like the inside of a mountain, but it looked like their rougher edges had been smoothed out by waves. Everywhere, mollusks protruded from the walls and the whole thing looked like it should be underwater.

Just as she was regaining her breath Kougyoku felt a sense of dread settle in her gut. She scrambled to her feet, gripping her sword, and started backing away from the pool once more. Something was moving closer beneath the surface. She could sense it's killing intent.

Her eyes travelled the wall and she found what she'd been looking for; a hallway leading away from here. It was dark, but she didn't care.

She hurried towards it, sprinting with all her might.

There was a splash of water behind her and something grabbed her leg, dragging her to the cave floor and then across it towards the pool.

Kougyoku almost gave into the urge to let go of the sword in favor of scrabbling at the floor, but she managed to push down her panicky fear. She twisted, ignoring the pain in her every limb and cut the large vine which had settled around her ankle. It returned to water immediately and she was free to scramble to her feet and back towards the dark hall, heart pounding in her chest.

How long could it reach?

Would it keep coming after her?

Did she even have a chance of leaving here?

But she reached the hall, plunged into its darkness and the monster at the bottom of the pool did not follow.

* * *

Kougyoku slowed to another halt when she'd become sure there was nothing after her anymore. She'd slammed into the wall twice and had lost almost all sense of direction in the darkness.

She had to calm down; she knew that. Otherwise she would risk going in circles. And she didn't know how long she'd have to stay in here so she had to think of how much energy she wasted too.

Her sword she slid into her sash, careful not to cut the cloth.

It wasn't the safest thing to do with it but her arm was aching from the strain of carrying it, and she needed to put it more practical

She slid down the wall and sat there, covering her eyes, trying to calm her galloping heart. She'd gotten past the first danger, but how would she do against the ones to come?

She was relatively comfortable with using a sword, and she knew she had the brains to deal with a good deal of puzzles, but she was small and not physically powerful. Would she be able to do this?

Kougyoku slapped both hands to her cheeks. The burn forced her thoughts out of their vicious circle and she rose with determination. She didn't have any other choice, after all.

She didn't want to die in a place like this. She didn't want for things to continue the way they did in Tailin.

Keeping a hand on the wall and an iron grip on her reason for being where she was, Kougyoku started down the hall. She was determined to pass this darkness.

* * *

Song reached her ears before light did and it urged her to continue, though she thought to be careful. The song was beautiful, sung in a language she couldn't understand, but there was something wrong with it... It scratched at her ears and made her feel uncomfortable. Her chest hurt and she disliked the sound with her whole being.

Still, there was nowhere else to go but to move towards the sound and so she did.

When she turned a corner and caught the end of the tunnel up ahead, she tested that the sword hung loosely enough in her sash to pull quickly free.

Kougyoku continued on, walking in a slow manner that enabled her to move soundlessly.

The sound of the song diminished suddenly so it was only one or two voices clearly singing now and the sound of male laughter echoed in the cavern, booming towards her.

The voice felt vaguely familiar and reminded her of sunlight, but Kougyoku couldn't place it and frankly thought she had better things to do. If a man had made it past the whirlpool good for him, though with the sound of his laughter she thought it was likely the dungeon had driven him mad instead. One had to be barking to laugh in a place like this.

She stopped at the exit, staying in the shadow and glanced out into the open space ahead of her.

The first thing her eyes caught on was the sky. It took her breath away. It was so different from the sky she knew. Planets with rings and moons of bright colour floated around in wide arcs. She saw collections of stars in black whirlpools of their own, and meteor rain. But then her eyes caught on a part of the sky that looked like shattered glass and she realised they were still inside. It was just another part of the dungeon meant to mess with them.

Ahead of her was an azure lake, which sparkled as beautiful as the sea. The ground was covered with sand and lush green plants were to be found everywhere. There were flowers there too, flowers like she'd never seen before, in brilliant colours so beautiful she'd replace jewels with them any day.

The beauty here would have been untainted had it not been for the beings occupying it. In the pool swam several very beautiful women, with tails like fish. They were all singing that horrible song, yet even more sat on a cliff, which created a platform on top of the lake. -they- weren't singing, but speaking with a man, who seemed completely engrossed by the conversation. It was the man who had laughed before.

Kougyoku had heard of creatures like these from the sailors of Reim. Sirens. Beautiful women of the sea whose song could entrance any fisherman. But they were not friendly. They lived of the flesh of man and they sought to drive boats into the cliffs so they'd shatter and sink.

Kougyoku had never been so relieved to be a woman as she was in that moment.

She looked away from the lake, searching for the path that would lead her on.

It was far off to her left that she noticed a curve in the cliff and a path leading into a wood of blue leaves. It'd give her little visibility ahead but it was the only thing she could see, which would lead ahead.

Kougyoku checked the terrain just ahead of her again. She'd have to be careful or she'd be spotted. She didn't want a direct confrontation with the sirens, knowing how dangerous they'd be - especially if the man meddled. If he'd gotten this far, he could only be a dangerous opponent - or plain lucky, but it didn't feel like that was the case.

The bushes, plants, and cliffs should give her plenty of cover if she planned her way through, and remained completely silent. She took her time pulling out the bun on top of her head and plaited it instead. There was no need to force herself to crouch lower than she had to while hiding and worrying over the bun might take away some of her focus.

She bowed to take her still wet shoes off, leaving them on the cave floor. The path she had to move along would take her dangerously close to the lake, but it was there the plantation was thickest, so she had no other choice.

Slowly, but surely, she started along the path, keeping her head low, almost crawling to stay behind something. More than once, she had to dart across a place where she had no other choice but to be seen, but she timed these places, checking that the monsters in the lake were turned away.

Eventually she got to the thicket which ran parallel with the lake. She took a moment to collect herself and relax her shoulders. She was safe for the moment.

Now that she'd gotten this far her mind cleared a little and she could hear what they were talking about.

"- in spite of all that," the man was saying, "you're clearly the most beautiful creatures I've ever come across in a dungeon."

The sirens giggled.

"Hey, Sin, did you know?" One spoke up. "That if you kiss one of us that'd surely make you able to breath under water."

"We'd even help you test it afterwards."

"Is that so? That would certainly be useful, but would you really give that to me so freely?"

"Of course," they all agreed eagerly.

When he next spoke up he almost sounded regretful. "On the other hand I'd have to choose which one of you ladies I should have to kiss and it would break my heart to ..."

Kougyoku blocked out the conversation. This man had been in more than one dungeon and they'd called him 'Sin'. As in Sinbad the Sailor? The king of Sindria?

Was he here to conquer another dungeon then? Had she come here in vain?

Kougyoku shook her head. She obviously hadn't. But the question was now whether or not she should save him... Could she? Without him taking the sirens's side in the fight? He'd be too dangerous an opponent then.

But she couldn't just leave him either...

"So tell me, ladies," his voice spoke up again, breaking her concentration. It had become almost businesslike. "What would I have to do to move on from here?"

There was a collective protest from the sirens. "You're leaving us when we were having so much fun?"

For the briefest of moments Kougyoku thought they were the ones under his spell, but that was preposterous. "No, I'd never want to leave such beautiful women all by themselves."

Yeah, that was more like it, she thought.

They bantered back and forth for a while, but finally he got his answer. "When you pass the blue forest down there," a siren spoke up finally. "You will reach a lake and on the opposite side of that lake is a giant door, but do not go through the door for it will lead to your instant demise."

"Jump into the lake instead and do not be alarmed by its vastness for you should be able to breathe down there," another continued.

"That's all we know," a third said. "He does not like it when his creatures know too much."

"Vinea?"

"Yes."

Kougyoku took that moment to look around the nearest bush to get another look at the platform, hoping they were so engrossed in their conversation they would not notice her.

"I suppose he's too afraid of you telling me the right way," he said, his voice lowering in a playful growl and reached for the sirens at the same time. They squealed in delight and jumped into the lake, avoiding his attack.

As the sirens dived under the surf the man's eyes travelled along the plantation. Their amber debts settled on Kougyoku, who quickly retracted her head from around the bush. Her heart hammered in her chest. She'd never seen such a look in anyone's eyes before. They were cold and calculative, waiting.

He wasn't enchanted at all.

He'd merely been waiting for them to open their mouths and speak, tell him all he needed to know.

How was that even possible? Could a man really ignore the song of a siren even if he could hear-

Something occurred to her suddenly. She'd seen him before! She'd spoken with him! He'd bought lychee in the market!

Should she save him? Obviously he didn't need her help and if he really was Sinbad the Sailor he wouldn't want it. Or so she assumed…

She certainly didn't need to stay here any longer.

Kougyoku checked the lake again, and saw that the sirens were hoisting themselves onto the shore on the other side of the lake, their backs to her. Even the ones who still sang that awful song were turned away.

This was her chance.

She took several steps out from her hiding place, ducked under the next group of bushes and hurried towards the blue forest.

There was a whistling sound behind her and something stuck in her shoulder, causing a small explosion of plain that made her cry out.

A siren materialized out of the earth in front of Kougyoku and she skidded to a halt, tried to go around, but was stopped by another one. They no longer wore the bodies of fish and instead carried themselves on human legs.

"Uh-uh," one sang. "Little girlies shouldn't be running around like that."

An arm slid over Kougyoku's shoulders and she felt the cold slimy texture of their skin, like the scale of fish. It made her shiver.

"It's not good for your health," the one holding her said, smiling down at her with entrancing green eyes. "Maybe you could come join us instead, princess? The water will do you good."

But some of them were still singing, and that hand on her neck was freezing her insides. It made her cold with that same feeling of dislike and bloodlust she'd felt earlier. Because of that, the siren's alluring green eyes had no effect on Kougyoku.

Her hand moved to her sword and she gripped the handle as the siren on her shoulder said "come, love, join us. I see it in your eyes, the hatred. Let us guide it and give it a new outle-"

The siren let out a scream of pain and rage.

In one swift motion Kougyoku had pulled out her sword and cut off her arm, by the shoulder. Kougyoku twisted and ran the sword through her chest. Like the monster at the bottom of the whirlpool she turned to water. Kougyoku felt its splatter on her arms and legs.

A smile she could not contain spread across her lips and she swung her sword at the next siren.

It hadn't even turned to water before she hit the next, and the next. They were so easy to kill.

A strong arm snuck around her middle and a large, warm hand settled on her wrist, blocking her movements.

It didn't deter her in the least. She elbowed her assailant in the stomach, but hit only air. The arm loosened around her middle and she twisted out of his grip, only to be pulled around by the wrist. Kougyoku gave a scream as the ground came rushing up to meet her, but with another tug on her arm, he swung her into the nearest bush.

"I had a feeling you were dangerous," Sinbad said.

Kougyoku crawled out of the bush and turned to look up at him. He was holding her sword.

Before she could say anything, however, he'd hoisted her to her feet, and started steering her towards the blue forest.

"Wha -"

She twisted in his grip, trying to look past him and back at the lake. "What about -"

"They can't reach where we are now so they won't try," were his only words before they plunged into the shadow of the forest.

* * *

After having checked they were properly alone in the strange forest, Sinbad made her sit down. He handed her a flask of water and a package folded in cloth. "How's your shoulder?"

Kougyoku had become aware that her shoulder was throbbing with pain, after they'd gotten out of danger, but she hadn't dared focus too much on it. She opened her mouth to answer but instead of answering him she gave a strangled cry. He'd pulled out whatever had been stuck in her shoulder and it had _hurt_. Tears sprung to her eyes and she tried not to sob.

"Calm down," he said. The way he said it made it sound like he was giving her practical instructions. "At least it isn't poisoned."

On the last word he tore at the neck of her dress.

Kougyoku gave a squeak and tried to scramble away from him, but one of his hands clamped down on her good shoulder. "Stay, I'm just going to clean this."

His voice was soft now, as if he was speaking to a frightened animal, and she guessed she was. It worked well, either way for she relaxed her shoulders and sat back down.

"Good girl."

He peeled away her ripped dress, and she realised that it'd been stuck to her shoulder. Was she bleeding a lot? Nausea rose in her, and she closed her eyes hard. She had to focus on something else.

"Those… were sirens, weren't they?"

"Yes -" there was another ripping sound, but she couldn't feel it, meaning it must have come from his own clothes -"it's quite unusual to see such creatures in the dungeons, though I'm assuming this is another water djinn and that's why…"

He trailed off, only to add "Please hand me the water."

She did as she was asked. A moment later she felt a cold damp cloth touch her shoulder. She stiffened, her back straightening at the contact, but as he gently washed away the blood she relaxed. "How come you weren't influenced by their song?"

Sinbad laughed at that. "What they do is a spell like any other," he said. "I simply manipulated the magoi so it protected against such manipulation."

"Magoi?"

"Do you know what the rukh is?"

Kougyoku nodded. "It's the home of souls and the source of all magi- Oh."

He chuckled.

When he'd finished cleaning her wound he asked her to pull strips off her skirt for bandaging. Once she'd done that he bandaged her shoulder and chest. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but they worked together and that saved her some of her modesty.

"What are you doing here, Kougyoku?" he asked as she turned to lean against the wall, her head falling back, eyes closing for the moment.

"Remember the man I was arguing with when we first met?" she cracked an eye open to look at him. "He… accused me of stealing and … dragged me off to be punished."

Sinbad's eyes turned kind with understanding. "I see. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she said, narrowing her eyes at the trees. The leaves, she could see now, were made of blue crystal. It was beautiful, but unnatural. "I'm going to clear this Dungeon and with it the corruption of Tailin."

"Is that why you've gotten so far?"

Sinbad grabbed the package from her lap, unfolded the cloth and revealed cheese and bread. Kougyoku suddenly realised how hungry she was. "Yes. That's all."

"And the vessel of power you receive if you conquer it?"

She shook her head and took the bread he offered. "Thank you. I don't know. I've never been in a position of power and I've never wanted it."

Sinbad hummed thoughtfully, and she dared ask something she'd been meaning to ask him for a while. "Are you really Sinbad the Sailor, king of Sindria?"

"That I am."

"How many dungeons have you conquered?"

He grinned. "Plenty."

"How many do you plan on conquering?"

"As many as I can."

"Why?"

He turned and met her gaze with eyes that held a darkness she'd never seen before. A chill ran down her spine and an instinct to run away shook her mind, but she stayed frozen in place. "Because I want power. Power enough to change the world."

* * *

Hello again, there, Sin. I hope you enjoyed the attention you got in this chapter. The siren idea actually started out as a joke, but it didn't really turn out as very funny. Seriously, though, imagine Sin meeting sirens xD

Sorry this update has been so long in coming. I'm super busy with uni and I wanted to finish at least two chapters in another SinKou multi-chap before I uploaded the next chapter of this. But then I started feeling bad about not updating for so long, so here it is.

I hope you enjoy this next installment. My beta suggested I use some more suggestive language in the siren scenes to make it more clear that Sin is under a spell, but 1) I don't think Sin would be that easy to seduce, and that it certainly wouldn't be seen or heard in the way he speaks and 2) this isn't that kind of fic so I didn't want to focus too much on it.

Well. As always, I dunno when the next chapter will be up, but it HAS been written so don't worry; it WILL be up.

Until then

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your lovely reviews! I hope you'll tell me what you think of this chapter as well!

- Pen

Ps. To those of you I PM with, I'll answer your PMs tonight (sorry I take so long to answer you)

Pps. To those of you who follow my original story on dA chapter 3 is up!


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